Rolling mill



July 1, 1952 F, J, WOQD 2,601,793

ROLLING MILL Filed April 25, 1947 t 7 SheeiS-Sheetl l INVENTOR.

' A TTOQNEYS F. J. WOOD ROLLING MILL July 1, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1947 4 TTORNEYS F. J. WOOD ROLLING MILL July 1, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 25, 1947 JNVENroR. Fim/w1 d Woa A TTGRNEYS July 1, 1952 F. J, woon 2,601,793

ROLLING MILL Filed April :2s/1947 7 sheets-sheet 4 f i3. 5I

JNVENToR. fM//r J h/qa M Lm A Tram/5x5 July l, 1952 F. J. woon 2,601,793

ROLLING MILL Filed APIil 25. 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 ENToR. fm/v/f J Waap July 1, 1952 F. J. wooD 2,601,793

ROLLING MILL Filed April 25, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 wiwi @13S .Q f 55.8. L?

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137 INVENTOR.

FPA/v/Jh/oap Y WSW 13s TTO/Q/VEYS July l, 1952 Filed April 25, 1947 lISf F. J. WOOD ROLLING AMILL 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVEN TOR.

,4l TTOP/VEY Patented July 1, 1952 ROLLING MILL Frank Wood, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Erwin Loewy, New York, N. Y.

Application April 23, 1947, Serial No. 743,345

. 2 Claims. l

Thislin'vention relates to rollingmills, and par- ".ticularly to `an improved arrangement therefor .wherebythe rolls andbearngs may be removed,

assembled, and adjusted as units with greater ease than hitherto possible.

SIn rolling mill operation; various adjustments v`4are reduiied'trnecessitating that ;the mill Arolls :be axially fand `vertically adjustable relative `to -ea'ch other. :In addition;4 the `rolls frequently must be changed' for-,various reasons "such `as in `merchant "mill" practice wherein a? 'multiplicity of various :shapes are rolled requiring different(shapeV rolls, `or whererepairs to the `rolls areneeded,

" :In ipr'iortpractice,` the roll.` bearings, and other parts" therefor' have .been insertible :and `remov- .1able,from therolling -zmill fstand individually'so .thatmanypartshad to be handled and adjusted,

'thuszrmaking` :.roll changing z or` adjusting opera- `tions*timetconsumng and difficult. A rolling ":One of ,the'zobjectszofzzthe ,presentinvention is to simplify'tlleA manner and reduce fthe time in which .a rrollzassemhly :can :bei` removed, changed,

and adjustedfin` afrolling` mill, sol as to reducematerially the loss inproductive operation `of the :mill dueto `fthe I^remova1,"changng, andV adjust- E,ing'of rthe rolls. 'Theirollingmill cannot be productively'iised .duringfthe period .while the mill is fstopp'edwhen'the .Trolls are beingA changed or when the" `parts tare vbeing adjusted" in the roll istanti.

- .-Anotheraobjeotof; the invention' is to lmake pos- :siblefthe :adjustment of thezrbllandbearingsfas a `unit bfore `being placed in` the mill.

" Still -ahotherobject of ltheinvention is to sim- ;plify -a-ndl toxreduce materially `the Inumberfof parts'necessary'to make the` roll adjustmentsfand the number of adjustments required.

-One ofthe-features of theinventionis `the5p"ro `:vision of; a moll assembly Sc'arrier frame :in which fa roll and frioll lbearingarrangement can be 1as- `sembled outside ofthe rolling `mill and't'he roll :assemblygcarrierirame,with the .rclland bearings assembled therewith inserted 1 and; removed asasiriiple unitfinfthe mill housing.

" 'Another geature Aof ,the invention is Athat the 'prightsfcniposingthe roll housingscan be tied together at their tops by bridges without interfering with ithe :insertion and removal of the roll assemblies. i Such a construction Vof the mill housings provides a strongand rigid structure.

Inaccordance with this invention, "roll assembly carrier frames are provided' which can be passed horizontally through the 'two windows or apertures normally present in the Itwo uprights at either side of the roll mill housing. In each roll carrier fra-me, 'the roll bearings .can be Vmounted and properly adjusted' relative to the carrier frame and to a roll supported bysaid bearings before the carrier ,frame with'the roll and :roll bearings assembled thereto is inserted `asfaunit through and in the windows of theroll housing. The roll assemblycarrier frame can :be clamped to one pair of uprights or housing of the rolling mill stand after the carrier has been inserted therein and is located in its desired vertical position relative `to the rolling mill housings. The lower roll carrier frame can zzbeclampedor fastened in some suitable mannerto thehou'sing uprights or may be adjustablypostioned relative to the housings in various ways. Thus, the :roll and bearings may be adjusted Arelative'tothetroll assembly carrier framesbefore-beingputinto position in the housings,4 therebysaving'the assembly and adjustment of a-pluralty ofparts the mill stand. Also, thefadjustments'andassembly of the roll and bearings tfacarrier-frame can be made while the rolling mill is'stillloperating with another set of rolls,` bearings,` and carrier frames, thereby saving `valuable machine time.

One or both of the carrier frames can'be made so as to be adjustable lengthwise `relativetofthe mill housings, and/or the rolls canrbe adjusted lengthwise relative to thecarrier frames. The pressure of the bearings longitudinally"-against the roll necks can be adjustedby providing *suitable means on each rollcar'rier frame rfor" this purpose, this `adjustmentbeingr madefif'- desired,

before thecarrier assemblyis placed in therolling mill'housings.

In a two-piece roll bearing arrangement, Athe term chock is used herein to mean the bearing half against which pressureis exerted when' material is being rolled; in other Wordstheupper halvesV ofthe bearings for :the upper'roll'andthe lower halves-of the bearngsfor `thelower roll. The term roll guide bearing is used herein in conjunction with two-part bearingsto` designate the bearinghalf opposite :the rollchocks. 4ln" a two-high` mill these are-,the `upper and flower bearing halves adjacent and f'back-to-back near 3 the mating line of the rolls. The roll guide bearings are sometimes referred to in the art as the roll carrier bearings.

Where the usual two-piece bearing arrangement is used, the upper roll guide bearing halves may be mounted on spring upwardly urged elevating rods or steelyards. In this manner, the upper guide bearing halves will exert upward pressure on the upper roll so that the upper roll necks willbe held against the upper roll chocks. The spring urged elevating rods for the upper roll can have an arrangement whereby the rods may be positively lowered so that the upper roll assembly can be lowered away from the upper screw-down apparatus and thereby permit easy removal of the upper roll assembly. An. hydraulically operated toggle link arrangement can be used for lowering the spring elevating rods although, of course, other equivalent means to lower the rods can be employed. When toggle links are employed, the rods may be positively held in their retracted position by merely causing the toggles to move past a dead center position.

Still another feature of the invention is a quickly retractable locking means to hold the lower carrier frame in its lowermost operating position in the housing after it has been assembled thereto. Another feature which can be alternateively yused with a two-piece roll bearing is a spring separated roll guide bearing assembly wherein the upper and lower guide bearing halves are joined -by'bolts or rods which loosely connect the same,

'may be employed in conjunction with the present invention and assembled in the roll carrier frames. The invention is shown in conjunction with a simple two-high rolling mill, but it is evident that it may be applied to various types of mills, A

such as ones having more than two rolls.

These and, other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will b-ecome apparent from `the following description and drawings which are merely exemplary.

Figfl is an elevation partly in section. Fig. 2 is an end View of Fig. 1 looking from the .right end of Fig. l. portions of the frame being broken and vsome parts being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line '4 4 of Fig. 1, a portion of the frame being broken away so as to show the details of the toggle arrangement.

Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section of a modification of the form shown in Fig. l.

Fig. Gris an end View of the form shown in Fig. 5 looking from the right end, some of the frame being broken away and parts shown in section.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View taken along the line 'I-'I of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary end view of a modified form of support for the carrier bearings of Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section, of the form shown in Fig. 9.

Fig.l 11 is a fragmentary elevation showing the invention applied to roller bearings.

l' can have anti-friction metal liners I3.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, rolls with two-piece bearings are used, each bearing including a chock and a mating roll guide bearing. The upper roll I3 therein has roll chocks I I and I2 rotatably guiding the uppermost portion of the roll neck bearings at each end of the roll, the chocks having suitable anti-friction metal linings I3. The linings may have thrust collars I4 and I5 integral with the lining or separate therefrom, said thrust collars being located between the inner margins of the roll chocks and the shoulder formed at the junction of the reduced roll neck and the roll itself. The upper roll guide bearings l5 and I'I Guide bearings I6 and I1 are connected to the roll chocks II and I2 loosely by means of bolts or rods I9 extending between each of the ilanges Ita of the guide bearings and the corresponding flanges of the roll chocks. The loose connection of said bolts with the guide bearing halves and the chocks will allow vertical movement of the roll guide bearing relative to its mating roll chock. rIhe manner in which the upper roll bearing guides are urged upwardly will be described in detail hereafter.

The upper roll chocks II and I2 are mounted in the roll carrier frame, yoke, or cradle 20. The flanges 2Ia at one end of roll carrier frame 20 extend beyond 'the end wall 2| of the carrier frame and the margins of window 22 (Fig. 2) of the roll housing 23. The Window or aperture 22 is formed between uprights 24 and 25 of the roll housing 23 (Fig. 2), and there is a similar window between uprights 24h and 25h of the lefthand roll housing (Fig. l). When the roll carrier frame is located in an assembled position 'in the roll housings, said flanges 2m will engage uprights 24 and 25 on seats 24a and 25a. thereof. Liners may be placed along the inner edge of uprights 24 and 25 and the spacing between the liners made such that the roll carrier frame is tightly held sideways in the window 22. The other end of the roll carrier frame 20 is similarly positioned between uprights 24h and 25h in the left roll housing. Keeper plates 26 engage flanges 2Ia and are removably held in place by means of bolts 21. It is evident that various types of securing means can be employed for keeping the carrier frame in an assembled position in the roll housings and that various arrangements of the uprights defining the windows or equivalent supporting apertures or guide surfaces for the roll supporting means can be used'.

The upper roll chock I2 is held in place in the roll carrier frame by means of bolts 29 (Figs. l and 3) which may be adjustable, if desired, and upper roll chock II is positioned longitudinally or axially in the roll carrier frame 20 by means of adjustable bolts 28, the adjustment of said bolts in the carrier determining the pressure exerted by the roll chocks Von the thrust bearings I4 and I5 which engage the roll, thus assisting in positioning the roll longitudinally in the carrier frame and governing the pressure of the roll chocks and their thrust bearings longitudinally on the roll.

The position of the top roll I0 relative to the lower roll and the mill housing can be adjusted by means of housing screws or screw-downs 30 and 3|, Said housing screws being adjustable vertically by means of worm wheels 32 and -33 which are turned by shafts 34 and 35, respectively. Pads at the ends of the housing screws 30 and 3I engage the top surface of the carrier frame 20. VThe shafts 34 and 35 may be driven by hand, motor,

menig-vee ffLowerfroll:chock 39'isJadjustablypositionedin the fcam'ienframe 41 iwhyzmeans. offadjustahlevhnlts 4.2, said adilisting'aboltsservingftoideterminethe 1ongitudinal-:pressure eexertedfbythe roll chockf'thrust bearings 39a anda'ion .the shoulders or the roll.

The lower roll .carrier frame 4l has a depend- :i-nglug 44 with'a-sloit therein for stradcllingthe double kflanged collar-.45,.said collarbeing Vad- `justable.longitudinally on stud 43 `relative-to the mill housing by meansof nutsl. The longitu- .dnalm-axial .position .of roll carrier frame l4I relative tothe roll housings and the upper roll thuslcanfbe varied by axial adjustment-of flanged collar .45. Inthisvmanner, the axial positions of .rfollsuln and 38.re1ative.to each other can bead- Ajusted with ease, the rolls and pressure of. the thrust bearings thereon .'having previously been 'adjusted relative to each carrier. Lower roll guide bearings `48 tare held in place against'the necks 38a of. the lower roll V'38 by means of springs '.49 carried on boltsSU, said Abolts `loein'g fastenedinto'the roll chocks and passing -looselythrough"apertures 50a inthe lower roll guidebearin'g` flanges.

"The lower roll `carrier-frame A4I can be releasablyretainedfin its operatingor down'position by one or more locking pins 5 lA (Figs`.2.to14) mounted on'- the uprights'of "the housing.' 'The locking pins '51| have-tapered ends 52 engageable with similarly `shaped elongated -slots in the :lower roll carrier frame, The slots'must be elongated to allow for' horizontal Yadjustment of the Vroll carrier frame. Locking pins 5| can have operating collars 53 at one end thereof. Springs 54` surround locking .pins'53 andare retainedin apertures 9| Yby meanaof removable ykeeper plates 56.- Springs .'54rare arranged so that'oneendo'f each -abuts thefcollars 55., said collars being secured to the ,shaftso'f'pins 5|. The springs thus tend to normally .hold theilocking e-pins 5| .in a `locking positionmelative lto the. lower carrierframe.

LEnOrdertoretract .thelocking pins so -that the carrier canbexraised upwardly or moved hori- -zontally.,.ayoke.51 can beprovided for each pin, said yokefbeing oscillatable iby-shaft 58, the shaft heingrotatable in.anysuitable manner. A motion-limiting.;.armllismounted .on shaft 58 and .iszoooperablez with .pin .'16n1.amounted on the mill housing frame z zso as ltoilimitrmovement of yoke 5T when -shaft 58de rotated. Theloc'king pins .can beriomitted, desired. and especiallyso if other; arrangementsoarei provided for -positively :holding the :lower-.carrier frame from vertical movement.

...'.Thefnpper-roll:guide `bearings "-If6 and l1 are Fpositioned werticallyby-rods or 'fsteelyards 63, "said rods normally 1leing Aheldf-in elevated posi- `Vtions'-byfsprings5B1-acting Lonvcollars 62, said ycollars .being-lsecured-to '-rods 63. Four `rods -63 'fa-re provided; 4onekffor leach.-nprighti 24, '25, 24h, :and 2.5bwso Uthat there` zwill be. a .rod -engageahle .L6 witheachfiiangezof theguide bearing halves. In the positionfshown-in Fig.. 2l, `the upper roll guide "bearings I6 and I'l and the upper roll l0 .are

V`urged upwardly-by springs 6| actingthrough rods 631so that theupper roll .is heldin tsuppermost position and with the roll necks A.thereof in roll .chocks Hand I2.

In order to .permit a lowering of the upper roll assembly, the` lower ends of rods 63 can be fas- :tenedto a. crosshead 64 by means of nuts .65.

lCrosshead 64.15 vertically movable -by means ...of `anhydraulic cylinder 61er similarf'operating apparatus, .thehydrauliccylinder 61 being pivotlallyxrnounted. at 613 on 'brackets f6.9 udepending from `the mainframe of the machine. .Pistoni-od `lllis fastened to a Vlink operatingvconnector 1|,

said connector having side arms 1l a extending betweenifthe twosetsoff linksfabouteto fbeudescribed. l"fl`helowerlinks 11 areipivotallyimoxint- :ed lati?! 3 tofcrosshead 6 `the form :shown'l there vbeing'l-apair of parallel elements-forweachflinh it `being.'app'arentthat-single elements could be fused?` There fare our lsetslofl lin-ks, 'l one' set being 1pinvotally lcon'nected at 'point '13 to 2 each; corner `roll -inanuppermost position.' The Lupward `movementlof- `rodsila 'is `limited by Vcollars L(521 contacting: the -uppermost position of the fboresl 92 ,vor by the :bushings-llf oontactingzltheir 'respectivecover -plate`s166.\ l

When itwis-desired-te removef the lupper-roll,

`keeper plates F26 lfirstpare loosened and 'then the hydrauliclcylinder 6-1 energized so as Lto move-the Ipistonerod ltotherighttFigZ);fpipes 93 and `fluid'.o'peratingl -mediumtfor the hydraulic Ycylinfd'e' inla well knownmanner;A Upon movement foil/che lpiston-rod T0 `=to theright, the -pivotfpoints `16f lwill straightenf outv-relative to each iother so as "to movetheorossheadfd downwardly; thus-causiing -r'odsl`63to movedownwardlytherewith. lThe links' 51112 'fanden fmayfbe operated f as a. ltoggle joint Mbyib '-nging 'the-feommonhpivots 1%- -to the fright 1(1Fig2`f29' of4 -'a'straight line joining `link- Vpivot points?! Sand-11:5, thus automaticallylocking rods 63 ina downward position.

@Downwardf movementI of lthe crosshead 564 will .permit theupper roll; the carrierbearingsg'the froll checks, fand'fcarriei 2| ytovmove downwardly 4"the sentire `*upper roll assembly loan be lifted for moved :horizontally relative Sto-"the upper ends of "rods-631.(Fig- `1`)' and through the windowsof the irol'lhousing,

After V.completion `of the remolvar of.` the upper "carrier-ias a unit;theflowercarrlercan be moved Lupwardlyfmrthe windows! 2 lupon release of locking pins 5I, and then the lower :carrier the lower .zrol1;2:the lower iroll checks.. and lower troll guide `bearings `.moved horizontally :as `a `unit out l ofV the frollrhonsing V.between the windows thereof.

.It also would Vbe possible to remove the lower 4carrier.-asserxibly. af-ter the upper assembly .has Vbeen removed: by `sliding #the4 fl'an'ged` collar 145 outwardly on stud 43 with the carrier, instead of lifting the roll carrier frame thereover.

Any type of conventional driving connections 05 may be employed to connect the rolls with suitable driving apparatus therefor as is -well known in the art.

A modified form oi the invention is shown in Figs, 5 to 8, inclusive, wherein the roll carrier frames have a slightly different form, and an adjusting means for the height of the lower roll relative to the mill housings is provided. A detailed description of the screw-downs and operating mechanism therefor together with the elevating and lowering mechanism for the upper roll bearing carriers is omitted because these are substantially the same as described for Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

Roll carrier frame 18 has flanges 19 extending either side thereof for engagement with the uprights 8| of roll housing 82, said ilanges having a greater Width than the window between said uprights of housing 82. Bolts or studs 83 pass through uprights 8| and are held in place by nuts 99. Bushings 98 of varying lengths may be employed to suitably position horizontally the flanges 19 relative to uprights 8| and thereby position the roll carrier frame relative to the mill housings. Studs 83 pass through elongated slots 84 in flanges 19 so as to allow vertical movement Iand adjustment of the roll carrier frame relative to roll housing 82 and nuts 83a hold the carrier in adjusted position.

The upper roll chock 96 may be fastened to roll carrier frame 18 by means of bolts 91. The upper roll chock 85 is positioned longitudinally relative to the upper roll 8E by means of adjusting screws 81, said roll chock exerting a pressure against the thrust bearings of the roll chock in a manner similar to that described for Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. The roll guide bearings |00 and |0| can be supported by means of rods |02 similar to thatdescribed for Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

Lower roll |03 is supported in lower roll chocks v|04 and |05, roll chock |05 being fastened by which pass the holding studs similar to that s for the upper carrier with the exception that an adjustable nut I2 can be provided for adjusting the position of the carrier longitudinally relative to the housing uprights 8|. The lower roll carrier frame |01 is supported on saddles ||4 carried ff.

in seats I l5, seats ||5 having sloping lower faces slidable relative to the movable wedges ||6.

lWedges ||6 have nuts ||1 engageable with the 4oppositely threaded screws H8. By turning screws IIS, wedges ||6 are moved inwardly and outwardly relative to each other so that the height of the lower roll carrier frame |01 relative to the mill housing can be adjusted thereby. The rollcarrier frames and assemblies of the modification shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, can be removed as units and adjusted, or the parts replaced, or new assemblies placed in the housing, in a manner similar to that described for Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. v

Still another modification of the form shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, can be seen in Figs. 9 and 10, it being understood that lthe modication of Figs. 9 and l0 also could be applied to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. Uprights ||0 of roll housing form windows |2| in which the upper roll carrierframe |22 and lower roll carrier frame |23 are mounted in a manner similar to `that just described for the modication of Figs.

5 to 8, the upper roll being shown at. |24 andlower roll at |25. The upper roll guide bearings |26 and the lower vroll guide bearings |21 have a plurality of bolts or connectors |28 loosely passing through the flanges of said roll guide bearings on both sides of the bearings. Springs |28 surrounding bolts |28 serveto keep the roll guide bearings separated relative to each other. One or any number of bolts may be employed for each Vpair of flanges as desired.. The arrangement of Figs. 9 and l0 takes the place of the rods holding up the lower roll guide bearings of the previously described modifications. The springs willurge the guide bearing halves apart and thus the rolls will be urged apart so that the roll necks of each roll will be urged against its chock. l

The two-piece roll chocks and roll guide bearings can be replaced by roller bearings, suchV as shown in Fig. ll. Upper roll 30 can have roller bearing assemblies I3! and |32 mounted in the upper roll carrier frame |33, the bea-ring cage or enclosure of bearing |342 being fastened to said carrier frame by means of bolts |34. The rollerbearing |3| can be positioned longitudinally relative to the carrier frame by means of adjustable bolts |35. The lower roll |36 has roller bearings |31 and |38 supported in the lower carrier yoke |39 in a manner generally similar to the upper roll. The roll assembly in its carrier frame in this form can be removed from the roll housing as a unit and adjusted or replaced outside of the roll stand, as desired, in a manner similar to that described for the other modifications of the invention. VThe upper set of roller bearings may be supported on rods (not shown) similar to the rods 63 and |02 of the previously described forms.

Several illustrative embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, and it is apparent that various modiications and departures can be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention except as dened in the appended claims.

I claim: f

l. In a horizontal rolling'mill having a pair of roll housings, the combination comprising an upper roll assembly carrier frame, roll bearing elements longitudinally adjustably mounted in said carrier frame, an upper roll carried by said bearing elements, adjustable bearing positioning elements engageable with said bearing elements and frame for adjustably positively locating said bearing elements and roll horizontally relative to its carrier frame, carrier frame securing means engageable with one of said housings and said carrier frame detachably connecting said roll assembly carrier frame to one of said housings, and a releasable normally elevated bearing supporting mechanism engaging at least some of said bearing elements and vertically holding the same, whereby said carrier frame with the bearing elements and rolls assembled thereto can be readily inserted and removed as a unit from the roll housings.

2. In a rolling mill having a pair of rollhousings and a main frame, the combination comprising an upper roll assembly carrier frame, roll bearing elements longitudinally adjustably mounted in said carrier frame, an upper roll carried by said bearing elements. adjustable bearing positioning elements engageable .with said 9 bearing elements and frame adjustably locating said bearing elements and roll relative to its carrier frame, carrier frame securing means engageable with one of said housings and said carrier frame for detachably connecting said roll assembly carrier frame to said housing, spring supported upwardly urged rods engaging at least some of said bearing elements normally holding said carrier frame in a vertical position, normally inactive toggle links connected to said rods and with said main frame, and toggle link activating mechanism connected to said toggle links to move said links and lower said rods against spring pressure, whereby said carrier frame with the bearing elements and rolls assembled thereto can be readily inserted and removed as a unit from the mill housings. FRANK J. WOOD.

1 0 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

